Internal combustion engine systems are often required to meet various performance goals, including engine speed, power production, efficiency, and regulatory requirements. For example, achieving a target engine speed is important in utility power generation applications for synchronization with the electrical grid. To achieve these performance goals, it is often desirable to control the contents of an engine cylinder during combustion, including the amount of air and its related characteristics (e.g., temperature and pressure). Among the techniques to control the airflow into one or more engine cylinders, internal combustion engine systems often include an intake throttle and a cam. The intake throttle is often adjustable for providing a desired flow of air from the ambient environment to an intake manifold. Air is delivered from the intake manifold to an engine cylinder through an intake valve, the opening and closing of which may be controlled by the cam. The flow of air to the engine cylinder can be adjusted with the presence of a cam phaser, which is one technique of variable valve control or timing, to change the phase of the cam (e.g., timing of valve opening and closing, which affects the amount of air that flows into the engine cylinder) and thus to provide a desired amount of air to the engine cylinder. As the operating conditions of the engine change, the desired amount of airflow may change in order to reach the various performance goals required.